The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-13


President Leonard said he could
in due conscience say he believed
the road had provided every
reasonable and customary safeguard. With
the consent of the coroner, President Leon
ard arranged that all unclaimed bodies
should be cared for, washed and placed in cof-
fins and conveyed to Peoria, where, with all
The bodies will be left there rs long as pos
sible and then if not identified will be
buried.
THE HORRORS DEEPENING.
The horrors of the wreck seemed deepen
ing early this morning instead of lessening
Added to the pitiable spectacle of the dead
and the miseries of the dying stencil sick
eningly foul was issuing from all the
numerous places where the corpses of vic
tins yet remained. No picture of the hor-
rible occurrence Immediately succeeding
the accident could equal in terrible details
the scene at the Toledo, Peoria and Western
depot to-day. The west end of the little
structure is a coal house and lumber room,
where, promiscuously stretched on the floor
in the coal and rubbish, were seven unidenti-
fled bodies, blood-stained and bedraggled
Sheets and blankets were thrown loosely
over each, but afforded but little protection
from the swarms of flies which were con-
tinuously lowering over them The odor
elHdudUlflR lTOIll t1le DOdltS kepJ
the room clear of all but the hardest
crowds. Two of the victims We're women,
and the sight of their faces was one never to
be forgotten.
CHASTITY IN THE EXTREME.
The distorted features, wide-staring eyes
and putrefying wounds were gazed at but
an instant, even by those looking for miss
ing father or daughter In few hours one
of them, young woman with light, reddish
hair would be absolutely unrecognizable
from the effects of the heat. Close by her,
raised above the other corpses in
the room, was the dead body of q
portly man supported on couple of old
boxes. He was in his stocking feet and
coatless, and was rapidly decaying. Other
dead men on the floor were In nearly as bad
condition. Outside on the platform of the
depot were several coffins filled with
those identified during the night,
and now awaiting shipment. The east end
of the depot was i'm even worse confusion
than the west. The floor continued strewn
with unclaimed baggage in an inextricable
mix. Little knots of people were poring
over the broken satchels and masses of
soiled and torn linen and trumpery, bring
ing to light here little infants garment and
there the crumpled remains of a widows bon
net A little down the road is a large vacant
furniture store III which thirteen corpses
We're fostering Only six of them were men.
The others were women and children Most
of the thirteen had not yet been recognized
by friends, and their countennnces were so
mutilated and their clothing so drabbled with
dirt and blood that it is doubtful if they ever
can be identified. One pretty little woman
terribly mangled, lay motionless beside
a babe toward which she was partly turned
Across the room was ststlwalt man upon
his back dead, but with his right arm still
raised in agony and his fist tightly clenched.
Over in the big school house two more
corpses were still uncoffined waiting claim
ants. Wounded to the number of 40 filed
the fire engine house, up stairs and down,
and the same faithful ladies and girls who
had scarcely slept since the wreck
were at the bedsides. In addi-
tion to those there were at teast
a score of injured distributed among the
private residences of the town too badly
hurt to be moved. A few hours had scarcely
elapsed, however, when the aspect of the
depot and other morgues was completely
transformed. A large force of men was set
at work boxing up the dead, forwarding
them to Peoria and clearing out generally
They succeeded admirably and before noon
had appearances so changed that a chance
visitor in Chatsworth could scarcely have
believed it the city of horrors that it was
last night and this morning The list of
killed, so far as is known up to noon to-day,
foots 156, of whom 63 are from Peoria.
THE WORK OF FIENDs.
Sensational features were developed this
morning as to the cause of the wreck. Ru-
mors were afoat last night that it was due
to robbers, who fired the bridge, but little
credence was given them This morning
new facts, apparently showing the catas-
trophe to be the work of an organized band,
fn LIGHT aud tho
find them worthy of serious investigation.
Supt. Armstrong said to an Associated
Press reporter that the more he investigated
the more it appeared TO him that the bridge
had been set on fire The burned grass in
its immediate locality was not of a nature
that seemed likely to admit of the bridge
catching from it. He had observed many
thieves at work. and had stopped them
while despoiling the wreck of property and
money. Instances Of the robbing of the
dead were being brought to his attention.
The excursion had been extensively adver-
tised, and the time it would pass over the
bridge was well known The citizens say
that a gang of suspicious fellows have
been lettering around Chatsworth for
some days. Many of these
paying more attention TO relieving bodies of
their valuables than to caring for them
otherwise. The trainmen and passengers
had frequent contention with the vandals.
In one instance Supt. Armstrong found
well known thief in the depot room where
the property taken from the wreck was
stored While the people of the town have
done all in their power for the sufferers,
there is horde of tramps and thieves in
this vicinity who do nothing but carry off
everything they can lay their hands on
THE TRACK HAD BEEN INSPECTED.
At the morning session Of the Coroner's
jury some decidedly significant testimony
was given. Timothy Coughlan, section
foreman here, testified that he had four
men helping him on his six and half
miles He received orders on "Wednesday
to go over his section and see that the
bridges and track were all right. Coughlan
went to the east end of his section and
burned the grass along the track for half
mile. He burned piece little over half a
mile from the wreck and put the
fire out. He examined the bridge
about o'clock and found no smoke
about it, and otherwise IL was all right
About three weeks ago the grass under the
bridge had been cut away for ten feet from
the bridge timbers, and he had no idea how
the bridge could have caught fire. Christie
pher Ennis, the roadmaster for the line from
the State line TO Peoria, said he went over
the road Wednesday from Fairbury b Gil
map. He went over the fatal bridge Just
before 4 O'Clock in the afternoon. He WIS
on the rear end Of the car and saw that the
bridge WINS all right There was no fire or
smoke about the bridge Mr.. Ennis said:
"My opinion is that the bridge was
cot ~, flra nv sonaahodv Nv train xvas aha